Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a nice, relaxed evening at home this year. Usually we go to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at our church. I was afraid of a relapse spoiling Christmas morning so as a precaution we stayed home. I missed our tradition but enjoyed our time at home. Every season in our lives is different, isn't it?

It is our tradition that the children receive their special ornaments on Christmas Eve. They were excited to receive them & see what Mama had been working on all afternoon! Here is Bugsy with his.

Elvis

Boo Bear

Hanging them on the tree.

Sweet Pea

Princess wouldn't pose with hers. Lol.
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We had our special Christmas Eve dinner. This year it was pizza! We haven't had it in quite awhile & the kids were very pleased.

Next on the list of traditions was the exchanging of presents between the children. Every year they either buy (with their own $), make or choose something of their own to give to each other. It is heartwarming to see their generosity to each other. They are eager to give & see the reactions of their siblings.

Elvis received these from Boo Bear.

She proudly gave Daddy a 2-Liter of his favorite. Mountain Dew!

Sweet Pea handed out presents too. This year she did lots of babysitting & pet sitting. I was touched by how much she spent on her siblings, Dave & I.

Boo Bear gave Princess one of her favorite kitty Beanie Babies, Amber. Princess adores it!

From Sweet Pea

From Sweet Pea

She gave her a Hannah Montana DVD too!

Also from Sweet Pea

From Boo Bear

He took both shirts & his glasses with him to bed he was so enamored with them!

LOL!

She was fascinated with Boo's ornament.

She kept taking it off the tree & trying to put it back again & again.

Then it was Elvis' turn to hand out presents. He didn't have any $ so he gave Boo & Bugsy toys of his own that were some of his favorites. He knew they loved them & wanted to give them something special. I almost cried it was so sweet.

He gave Sweet Pea a coupon promising "One Day of No Screaming". This is HUGE for him. Most of the time they are like oil & water together. I asked him if he wanted to promise an hour or a day & he chose the entire day. Wow!

Cutie Pie

The night wouldn't be complete without reading the story of our Savior's birth.

Princess added some giggles to this years reading. =0)

Bopping brother on the head.

Where's Princess?

Listening at last =0)

We talked about the real meaning of Christmas & then Daddy read "The Legend of the Candy Cane". One of our favorites!

The kids actually ASKED to go to bed. I think it was about 7:30p.m. Bugsy must have been tuckered out b/c in no time he was sound asleep with Molly cuddled by his side.

The kids started a tradition of their own about 5 years ago. They all spend the night together in one of their bedrooms. They take turns every year "hosting". This year it was Boo's turn to host. They giggle for awhile & then in the morning they stay in that bedroom until we come & get them. No peeking allowed! Lol!

Settling in for a long winter's nap.

Sweet Pea helped us out getting Princess to sleep & then joined the others in Boo's room.

Sweet, Sweet Girls

This afternoon our girls made the decision to have their long hair chopped off in order to donate it to children who have lost their hair to cancer. Boo decided to donate hers to Locks of Love. This is the 2nd time she has done this. Sweet Pea wasn't going to have her hair done at first because we thought it wasn't long enough. (More about this soon.) When I chopped off Boo's hair I cut it too short in the back. She was not thrilled with it but knew how badly I felt and immediately forgave me. That touched my heart. When her hair was actually cut short there were some tears. Once Sweet Pea saw how much her sister was missing her long locks she decided she would have her hair cut short to make her feel better and not so alone. Wasn't that sweet? We ended up measuring Sweet Pea's hair and found another charity that would take 8 inches. She was happy because she could now donate as well. (Locks of Love requires at least 10 inches.)

Now if you know our girls you know how much they LOVE their long hair. For them to do this was a big deal. There were tears for Sweet Pea too as her hair was being cut. It took only a little bit and they were both smiling again. I curled their hair to make it a little more fun and then the whole family took them shopping for new hair clips & headbands. They miss their long hair but said they would do it all over again because they know they are giving to a child that isn't as fortunate as they are. After our trip to the mall they are happy with their sassy new hair styles. I know I said this already but I am very, very proud of them.

Some Before Pictures of Sweet Pea

Some Before Pictures of Boo Bear

Her Cut Ponytail

Some Tears, A Smile & A Cut Ponytail

Fancied Up

Sassy Sisters!

Happy Girls

Daddy's Reaction

Daddy is very proud of his girls.